Pacers 128-124 Timberwolves

I felt Target Center's security guard was disconcertingly thorough in searching my pants last night. She didn't find anything, because the only thing I carry that causes pain and sorrow isn't in my pockets. When I got inside I really wondered why she even bothered checking me for weapons, since I would have had to cross over two sections to find anybody to fight with. If all three stages are going, I honestly think the Guthrie could draw bigger crowds this winter.

The Timberwolves players also greeted me with the same disturbing sort of misdirected enthusiasm. Apparently the gameplan for the evening was to beat the Pacers by creating opportunities for 20 foot jump shots and playing defense by fouling. With all these career 30% 3-point shooters eager to prove their (lack of) range I kept wondering why Pekovic wasn't more involved, since he's been billed as the first banger the Wolves have ever had at center... when I checked the box score I understood. Due to a mixture of work, apathy, and friendly waitresses I came a bit late, and I missed out on seeing Pekovic foul out in 10 minutes. Sadly he doesn't play defense either. And incomprehensibly the Pacers couldn't take advantage... this mess went to overtime!

I don't even know where to rest my eyes on this team. The only consistent thing is journeyman back-up point guard Luke Ridnour. In a star-driven league, nobody can put their mark on this team, not even Kevin Love. None of the rookies are interesting, and really other than Love all the draft picks of the last few years were busts and bench players. I guess now I know what it's like to be a Clippers season ticket holder: showing up to watch the other team. Sadly the NBA is in such a slump half the teams have nobody to sell tickets. If it's going to be this sad every night, I just hope I can get something for my Lakers, Heat, and Celtics tickets.

Addendum: Did they actually get any better? 
As I occasionally like to do, I went back and put all of David Kahn's off-season trades into one giant ball to see what went in and went out. The Wolves traded away two first round picks but got two back next year, so I'll cancel those out, and ignore Delonte West since he was quickly waived. That means they traded away Al Jefferson (franchise power forward), Ramon Sessions (solid back-up point guard), Ryan Hollins (mediocre center), and Ryan Gomes (great role player), and four second-round draft picks. We got back: Kosta Koufos (crappy center), Michael Beasley (underperforming power forward), Sebastian Telfair (back-up point guard), Martell Webster (scoring swing man), rookie forward Lazar Hayward, and the rights to forward Nemanja Bjelica, who's stashed in Europe. Hollins and Koufos cancel out, Webster for Gomes is upside for the Wolves, and Bjelica was a 2nd rounder so he cancels out one of those, meaning the Wolves gain in the mega-trade is the Webster/Gomes switch, and Lazar Hayward. To get this benefit they downgraded Al Jefferson to Michael Beasley, Ramon Sessions to Sebastian Telfair, and threw in three 2nd round draft picks. If Webster turns out to be all that and a bag of chips, the Jefferson to Beasley/Hayward downgrade could be canceled out by the Webster/Gomes upgrade, with some 2nd rounders as gravy... sadly my pessimism won't allow me to see it that way.

The only free agent moves were adding free agents Luke Ridnour to hopefully show Jonny Flynn how to play point guard, and adding Anthony Tolliver and Maurice Ager (if he doesn't get cut) to the end of the bench. The Wolves did also add Bjelica and Brazilian center Paulo Prestes to their European larder which now holds two skinny forwards and Ricky Rubio, and pulled Nikola Pekovic out of it so they'd finally have a center with some low-post moves. They do still have a pile of mid to late round draft picks, Rubio, a few unremarkable players in Europe, and cap room (which is useless when nobody wants to sign here). Still not a lot to get excited about.